


Strange Connection

by TheYoungerMissBronte



Category: Anastasia - Flaherty/Ahrens/McNally
Genre: Angst, Drama, F/M, Introspection, Moral Ambiguity, Romance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-08-22
Updated: 2020-08-22
Packaged: 2021-03-06 21:48:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,292
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26046028
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/TheYoungerMissBronte/pseuds/TheYoungerMissBronte
Summary: Gleb has sworn himself to the revolution, but a sweet and dangerous young woman keeps testing him to the breaking point.Partially inspired by the song "Still" :)
Relationships: Anya | Anastasia Romanov/Gleb Vaganov
Kudos: 17





	Strange Connection

_“Love me Sweet, with all thou art,_

_Feeling, thinking, seeing;_

_Love me in the lightest part,_

_Love me in full being.”_

-Elizabeth Barrett Browning, A Man’s Requirements

He let her go.

A street sweeper, an underhanded waif. A little girl. A young woman with the strength to bring down the most powerful nation the world had ever known.

A fleck of snow and the low whistle of the train jolted Gleb from his traitorous thoughts; the conflicting emotions from what he had done moments before. His dark hair was ruffled. Beads of sweat gathered on his forehead as he fought to do the impossible. He had to resist the allure, the secret thrill of it all. He had work to do. 

Gleb opened the red folder tucked in his jacket: Anya’s file. Although he could recite the entire report by heart, he never tired of looking at her photograph. It was grainy, conspicuously taken by a young informant under the lights of Finland Station mere moments before her betrayal. But still, her eyes glimmered and shone with optimism: dreams of a bright future beyond the borders of _his_ beloved, beautiful country. One look at her hopeful smile could almost make him forget how frustrating she was.

And how dangerous. 

Anastasia was dead. Dead along with the rest of the Romanovs, and dead along with the oppression they inflicted upon millions. Gleb knew that all too well, and he knew his superiors felt the same way.

But then he saw the look on their faces, worry thinly masked by confidence. Gorlinsky had boasted over the telephone “We’ll make an example of her,” but his voice was checked, wavering into uncertainty. Gleb briefly wondered, _“Could she possibly…?”_

No! Russia had changed. Gleb understood. The only way to make sure it stayed that way was to end all rumors of Anastasia. Besides, he thought with a shudder, the struggle for power and progress had only just begun.

He had an order to follow through with. He told himself that he would have no more of this nonsense after that last night in Leningrad. No more pining after her; no more dreams of golden hair and blue eyes making him question everything he fought for. Deputy Commissioner, now General, with a license to kill. He had to be a machine; it was duty.

He had to, in order to survive.

But…he couldn’t. How could he?

* * *

_“I told you to be careful,”_

_She turned around, and all of his confidence and anger vanished. The words of his superiors instantly forgotten._

_Her lips parted, and if things were different, he would pull her to him, he would kiss her. Tell her that everything would be all right. Maybe both of them had a chance in this world._

_But life is not a fairytale._

_“Anya,” he began. Anya. A breath, a sigh lost in the wind, not knowing what to say, how to make it all better. He clenched his jaw, balling his hand into a fist, trying to gain back some of his resolve. But as he opened his mouth, their eyes met, and there was no way to continue. All of the old tricks and tactics hard-wired into his system backfired before he could begin._

_Standing in the dark train car, looking at her - a bold, delicate aerial beauty - made his strong conviction in the revolution turn to doubt._

_“Gleb,” she whispered, her voice catching on something invisible. Perhaps it was that something pushing and pulling their souls; stretching out of reach before colliding. Something Gleb had never felt with anyone before. A fusion of opposing hearts bound so tightly that one could not be distinguished from the other; preventing him from laying a finger on his sworn enemy._

_They both knew it. Gleb had her in his sights. He could end this royalty nonsense now. The revolution would finally be stable, secure. Except she didn’t know that the real battle was not between themselves, but between his heart and mind._

_He took a step forward, one hand placed gently on her shoulder. The other in his pocket, firmly holding the gun. ‘Finish the job for your father like a good son.’ His fingers methodically fiddled with the trigger._

_“Anya, don’t you know what you’re doing?”_

_She glanced back, tears forming in those cerulean eyes that would surely be the death of him, whispering “Do you?” before disappearing into the night._

* * *

It was dark, he was tired, he couldn’t be entirely sure. Damn it! He needed an excuse; something, _anything_ other than the truth of why she slipped away from him. Why he let her.

He hoped she couldn’t see his predicament. But could she sense it? All it took was a stolen glance in her eyes, and everything in the universe collided between them; bringing them together, and tearing him apart.

Gleb knew the world must change. He never expected a change in himself.

And it couldn’t be allowed.

Someone was conspiring to get him. Although he had sworn to abandon the old ways, his soul could not be shaken by revolution. He often heard his father say “love your enemies” when he was a child; an impossible task. But that was before. Even Stepan Vaganov failed to follow his own advice. Now, the words took on a totally new meaning.

Gleb wished things were different for his father, if he could have done something to save him. It didn’t hurt as much now, but there would be days he could not mute his sadness. He had lost everyone so quickly. He couldn’t lose her.

He and Anya would both go, far away, somewhere the world would never find them. Perhaps he could get them a house, somewhere with clean air and open fields. Maybe one day they would have children, and they would be sunny and hopeful and beautiful, just like her. At last, Gleb could have a loving, unbroken family.

“In your dreams!” he scoffed.

One look into her ocean eyes, and he was in over his head. Love, beauty and bravery – traits Gleb thought had disappeared from the world- abounded in her.

She had room for so many people in her heart. Her soul bled kindness. He did not deserve one drop.

_“Anya, can you love a broken man?”_

…and it wasn’t fair. It wasn’t fair that she could make a man fall in love with her who didn’t have a chance.

No, he could not let this happen.

Instead of jumping after her as he ached to, he left the train quietly at the next station, a few kilometers from the border of Poland. Now here he was, waiting. A silver storm swirled around him, footfalls and train whistles sounding in the distance. She would be long gone by now, running off with those two good-for-nothing hooligans who were only there to exploit her trust, her fiction, her innocence.

Her power.

Worst of all, a small part of him believed her.

 _“How can she know what she’s doing to me?”_ He longed for her affection; craved her innocent, intoxicating presence. Above all else, he desired her love.

_“She’s a woman after my own heart.”_

She was leading him into the deepest, darkest pits, and damn him if he didn’t love every minute of it.

The only thing left to do, the only thing he could do, was follow. Trace her slight footsteps in the snow and hope to catch sight of her at the end of the path. And, despite the strong blizzard pulling him back, he started on his journey – towards what, he didn’t know. But he would have her, as certainly as she had him, whatever the cost may be.

He was never going to give up on her.

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you so much for reading! I hope you enjoyed :)
> 
> Also, I want to give a huge thank you to all the people who read Golden Dreamer! I was blown away by the kind and welcoming response. Thank you to everyone who gave a kudos, left a bookmark or wrote a comment! You've all helped so much, it really means a lot to me. You guys rock!!
> 
> Have a great day, and stay well <3


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